Light of the Mind
by IrishAnnie71
Summary: Completely rewritten July 2019. Part two of The Fair Maiden Series. A quatrain leads Cade to believe that Liz might be in danger as she seeks to expose local government corruption which may have links to the alien conspiracy.


Author Notes

It's been on my mind for years to rewrite all my old First Wave fic so I have eventually gotten around to it

Summary;- Part two in The Fair Maiden Series in which journalist Elizabeth Baker helps Cade and Eddie to expose the alien conspiracy.

Timeline;- Takes place in Season two between Episode 2 Deepthroat and Episode 3 The Apostles

Disclaimer: - The First Wave Title and Characters are the copyright of First Wave Productions in association with Pearson TV. The characters of Cade Foster, Crazy Eddie, Joshua, Hannah and the Gua are the property of Chris Brancato, Larry Sugar and Francis Ford Coppola. Everything else belongs to me! (April 2000 - rewritten July 2019)

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Light of the Mind

The muffled ring of a cellphone from inside her bag distracted her as she pulled up outside her apartment block. She rummaged around hoping she would find it before it stopped ringing. She eventually found it and pulled it out of her briefcase. She hadn't even looked to see who was calling. All she could hear on the other end was static.

"Hello?" She answered .

"You will die!" a voice said over the line before the connection was broken.

Elizabeth Baker felt chills running through her body as she stared at the cellphone. As an investigative reporter she was used to getting crank calls but this unnerved her. She grabbed her bag from the passenger seat and almost half ran to the apartment building.

"Dammit!" She exclaimed when she dropped her keys. As she bent down to pick them up she heard a rustle in the nearby bushes another chill creeping up her body as she got a sense that someone was watching her. She stood up quickly and turned her head towards the bushes. A light wind made the bushes sway slightly

"_You're getting paranoid Elizabeth, _" she told herself. When she reached her apartment door she noticed that it was slightly ajar.

"What the hell?" She pushed the door open and gasped when she saw the overturned furniture and everything in disarray.

"Has anything been taken Ma'am? " The police officer asked as they both stood in the middle of the apartment. "

"Not that I can see," she replied pulling a chair upright. " Anything back from forensics yet?"

"They ran the prints through the system. No match, " replied the officer.

"Oh," she said in disappointment. "This is a warning. "

The police officer looked up from his notebook. "A warning?"

"I work for the Herald, " she replied.

He nodded in understanding. "Is there anyone you can stay with tonight Ma'am?"

"I'll be fine officer," she smiled.

He took a card from his pocket and handed it to her . "Ok but don't hesitate to call if anything like this happens again. "

"Thank you Officer, " she smiled as she let him out the door.

She let out a slow breath as she shut the door and set about tidying up the mess.

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_Quatrain 23, Century 5_

_"The Maiden of Fair Beauty seeks to reason, the planners corrupt of the high authority, before the light of the mind turns to dark."_

_A Previous Quatrain had referred to Elizabeth Baker as The Fair Maiden. Eddie and I believed that this quatrain meant that she might be in danger. I hadn't heard from her since she moved to Idaho. I helped her investigate her father's death. We became close. It was the first time I had felt like that since Hannah died. If I couldn't prevent what had happened to Hannah maybe I could prevent something happening to Liz and somehow make a life together when this was over. Live a normal life. How could I think about living a normal life now? I have been on the run for over a year now from the authorities and the aliens. I decided to email Liz. Told her we were just passing through._

Liz sat in her cubicle of the Garden City Herald waiting for the printer to finish printing the file of the story she was currently working on. The story would blow the lid off the Planning Commission in City Hall. She discovered that local politicians were taking cash from businessmen to have land rezoned. She wondered if the crank calls and the break in at her apartment had something to do with it. It was the last thing she needed. She was under pressure to keep this story under wraps until it was published. There would be hell to pay if anyone connected to the story where to find out about it. Clayton, her source had been very clear about the consequences. Liz placed all the printed pages into her briefcase to read when she got home. She heard the familiar ping of an incoming email. She smiled to herself when she saw who it was from.

"_Hey Liz_

_Just passing through your neck of the woods. Drop by. Just follow the bad cooking smell….!_

_Cade and Eddie_

She hadn't heard from Cade Foster since she moved out here. She knew he was still on the run as she regularly read his journals on The Paranoid Times.

She emailed a reply

"_Hey Guys_

_It's good to hear from you. If it is a hot meal you are after come by any time after 7. I live 4500 Wellington Avenue. Apartment 3._

_Liz_

"Liz, I just wanted to remind that the story you were working on, the corruption one, needs to be sent to the printing press before the end of the week for next week's issue, " her editor, Catherine Denny said as she walked over from her office. Catherine was a tall willowy blonde who always looked glamorous and put together. Her no nonsense attitude always made Liz feel a little intimidated.

"I have it printed out, it's on a disc and I have a backup. I was going to look over it tonight before I sent to the press tomorrow."

"Well just remember that it is a very confidential document. Nobody else must see it until it is published."

"I will, " Liz replied as it occurred to her that there could be a possible connection to the aliens. She would talk to Cade and Eddie about it.

Rain fell heavily as she drove through town. She looked through her rear view mirror and saw the same black sedan that seemed to be following her over the last month. It made her uneasy along with the other strange things that were happening.

"_I am getting as bad as Eddie, I m just imagining it._" She turned a corner and noticed that the other car had gone straight ahead.

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The doorbell rang bang on 7 as she was taking her casserole out of the oven. She opened it to see Eddie standing on the doorstep. He looked out of breath. Like he had run a marathon. He gave her a big grin as he awkwardly proffered her a bottle of wine.

"Hey Eliza Jane! "

"Eddie! I see you shaved for the occasion!"

"I did,' he grinned as he grabbed her for a big bear hug.

"Eddie, next time you park the caddy make sure you park between the lines, " Cade said as he appeared behind them.

Liz and Eddie broke apart from their hug at the sound of his voice.

"Hi, " he smiled.

"Hi yourself," replied Liz her breath hitching a bit as their eyes met and he gave her a tender smile.

"You look great, " he said.

"So do you, " she replied. "In need of a hair cut though! "

'C'mere, " he said as he pulled her into his arms for a hug. Cade felt all the familiar feelings flooding back as he did.

"Well let me show you around!" she said taking them through all the rooms.

"So how is work?" Cade asked looking at a crystal ornament over the fireplace. He picked it up and read the inscription "_Awarded to Elizabeth J Baker for Achievement and Excellence in Journalism"._

"It's going really well!" she said. "I just finished a very big story today, 6 weeks of investigation. Due to go to the presses tomorrow. It's going to blow the lid off the Planning Commission in City Hall."

"Sounds interesting!" Eddie said as he and Cade shared a look between them

"Yeah, it occurred to me though that there may be some other agenda."

"What do you mean?" asked Cade.

"Well I have a feeling there may be some Gua connections to it."

"Well the aliens have reached the higher levels of power, so it may," Cade replied.

"That's what I thought," Liz said. "Will you take a look at it and tell me what you think?"

"Sure!" Eddie said. "I always love a good conspiracy!".

/\\\\\

"Liz... that was a really great meal," Eddie said after he had polished off his plate.

"Eddie's idea of a great meal normally constitutes weird combinations of food that should not go together, " Cade said putting his arm on the back of Liz's chair. He lightly ran his thumb along her spine. She leaned into him not wanting to break the connection

"My tastes are too sophisticated for him, Eliza Jane, " Eddie grinned.

The sound of her cellphone ringing broke the light hearted banter between the two men. She picked it up and saw that the number was withheld.

"Excuse me, I need to take this," she said taking the phone with her into the living room.

"Hello? she answered.

"Who is this?" she whispered as she looked out the window but no one answered. "Clayton is that you?"

The silence on the other end of the line was followed by a click as the person disconnected the call.

She peered out the window. The streets were deserted as rain bounced off the sidewalk creating rivers that flowed down the street.

"Is everything ok?" she heard Cade's voice behind her.

She turned to face him. "Yes! Would you like a drink?"

\\\\\/

"This has Gua written all over it, " Eddie said as he sat cross legged on in the armchair with the file in his lap. "What do you think Foster?"

Cade sitting close to Liz on her couch put his beer can down on the coffee table and nodded. "I think so! "

"Oh my god. This will expose the Gua, " Liz said her hand flew up to her mouth.

"How are you going to prove it though Liz?. We need definitive proof, " replied Cade.

"That 's our dilemma In a nutshell Liz. Proof. Cold hard facts. It's a great local corruption in a small town story. But how do you prove it? " Eddie said to her.

She let out a long sigh as she shook her head. She let her hand drop in her lap. "I'll find a way!"

"Hey. Does this mean you're joining our alien busting team now? " Eddie asked her.

She glanced sideways at Cade who seemed like he was waiting for her answer. She gave a half smile and nodded her head. "YES!" she breathed out ."I'm in. "

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"I need to kick start the caddy to get us home, " Eddie said a few hours later after they had cleaned up after the meal. He wasn't drinking as he was driving. "Otherwise it will be spluttering all the way home. "

"A bit like you in the mornings," grinned Cade pushing himself of the couch. He had a couple of beers and was feeling quite mellow.

"Funny Foster," Eddie said as he left the apartment.

Cade looked over at Liz who was standing by the the window looking out. "I'm glad you decided to join us!"

She turned around and smiled. "Once I get this published I'm all in!"

Cade walked over to her and caressed her cheek. She gazed into his blue eyes as he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "I should go. "

"You could stay, " she whispered.

He pushed a lock of hair from her face resting his chin on the top of her head while intertwining their hands. "I can't. "

She pushed lips together and nodded.

"Besides you need to get that article ready. You never know. You could get another award for it, " he grinned.

"I am. And another one when we stop the invasion, " she smirked with a raise of her eyebrows.

"Now you're talking!" he laughed. "So see you tomorrow?"

"Yes, " she replied as they walked towards the door with his arm draped across her shoulder

"Night," he said with a smile and headed off down the footpath.

" Night, " she replied and closed the door. She stood in the hallway for a moment and then went back into the living room and picked up the file.

"Dude, I thought you were gonna stay," Eddie said when Cade got to the car.

"What do you mean?" He asked .

"Man, I saw the moony eyed looks you two were giving each other all evening... "

"Eddie..." Cade said in a low tone which suggested that he didn't want to discuss it.

"All I am saying is... "

"Eddie, I know what you are saying. But there's... too much at stake here," admitted Cade. "Maybe when this whole thing is over."

Eddie nodded in understanding. " Ok! "

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Early next morning Liz was the first to arrive at the normally buzzing office. There was no one around apart from the security guard who let her into the building and a cleaner who was just finished her shift. The street lights outside gave an eerie glow to the dimly lit office until she turned on the florescent lights overhead. They blinked twice while emitting a low hum as she made her way through the office to her desk.

She let out a gasp when she saw the mess in her cubicle. "No!"

Filing cabinets overturned with papers strewn all over the floor. Frantically she turned on her computer and discovered that all the files relating to the story had disappeared. The email she went to her work email was gone. The discs were destroyed. She had shredded the copy she had printed out yesterday once the necessary revisions were done. Everything was gone.

She sank down on her chair leaning her elbows on the desk as she cupped her mouth with her hand. The sound of voices made her look towards the door and she saw Catherine Denny arriving. She stood up as the editor approached her.

"I see you are in bright and early, " she said to her.

Liz's mouth went dry and her heart beat rapidly. She swallowed as she tried to form words.

Catherine looked at her curiously. "What's wrong?"

"Everything is gone Catherine, " Liz eventually said.

"What do you mean?"The other woman frowned.

Liz took a deep breath. "Someone stole the files. The story is gone."

"What? " exclaimed Catherine as she stepped to the cubicle and saw the mess. "Everything is gone?"

"Yes! The backups, the originals, the discs, the emails. Everything".

"Did you have any copies at all? " Catherine asked.

"I had one but I shredded it after I re organised it. We should call the police...or ask the security guard! "

Catherine shook her head. "No. We can't do that."

"What!" exclaimed Liz .

"I need to discuss this with Andy when he comes in. This will have to be handled in the right way," replied the editor as she headed over to her own office.

/\\\\\

Liz sat at her desk as the rest of the staff arrived in for the day. She glanced up the clock above the door. Time seemed to be moving slowly since Andy Parke, the Managing Director, arrived to meet with the editor. The other staff had heard about what happened and came over to commiserate with her. She watched Catherine and Andy talk in the editor 's office. He looked out in her direction from time to time. She tried to re-create the story from memory and even ran a scan on the computer but there was nothing there. She looked back at Catherine's office and noticed that Andy was standing with his hand on his hips and briefly nodded his head as Catherine gesticulated with her hands. He moved over to the door and beckoned Liz to come over. Taking a deep breath she rose from her chair and walked over to them.

"Liz, we are very concerned about what happened. What has happened is a major breach of contract and the only thing we can do is to terminate the contract you have with us, " Catherine said to her as Andy closed the door behind her.

""You're firing me?" Liz exclaimed."Did you even talk to the security guard...or the cleaner...she was here when I got in!

"No need to!" Catherine said coldly. "You have an hour to vacate the building. Joe will see to it that don't take anything belonging to the paper."

"You can't do this!"

"I am your boss, you have broken your contract, lost very important documents, need I go on? Now remove your belongings and leave!"

Liz opened her mouth to say something but Andy had left the office and Catherine turned her back to her. She raised her hand but let it flop down by her side when the security guard appeared.

"I've been instructed to escort you to your desk to retrieve your personal effects," he said to her. She let out a deep breath and followed him out the door. She ignored the looks she received from the other people in the office.

/\\\\\\\

"Here's one here who thinks their local rabbi is an alien. Sounds like a National Enquirer headline, " Eddie chuckled as he and Cade sat on deck chairs outside the trailer going through emails they had recently received.

"It would be funny if it wasn't so serious," grumbled Cade irritability. They hadn't gotten one credible email or leads in a couple of weeks. Not since he had defeated Lucas, the beautiful alien with the super strength on Cosgrove Island. That was a scary time as she seemed to be one step ahead of them the whole time. It was one of the few times that he had admitted to being scared to Eddie.

"Oh did I tell you we had 120 hits on the website this week. Our army of believers has doubled since we took out that rainmaking experiment in Athlone a few months back, " Eddie said crumpling up another email and threw it into a nearby bucket.

Cade rubbed his eyes with frustration. "Are you sure those 120 hits didn't just take a wrong turning to Shangri La? "

The sound of a car horn blaring twice interrupted whatever Eddie was going to say.

"Well don't some people have the life?" Liz said getting out the car.

"Hey, how is it going. Did you meet the deadline?" Cade asked.

"No. I got fired instead," she replied .

"What?" exclaimed the two men.

"Somebody stole everything related to the story. Catherine fired me because of it," she said with a sniff.

"You're not serious?" Cade got to his feet and walked over to her.

"All the documents, files, discs, emails, everything is gone!"

"What about the files on the hard drive?" Eddie asked.

"Gone, it is like they never existed. Whoever did this knew what they were looking for and where to find it. This is the last thing I need…. on top of everything else as well." She pushed her hand through her blonde curly hair.

"What do you mean?" Cade asked.

Liz looked at the two men and sat down on the deck chair Cade had recently vacated. "Other things have happened."

"What do you mean?" asked Cade

"Ever since I moved out here strange things have been happening. It is like someone has a vendetta against me," she revealed..

"What kind of things?" asked Eddie.

"My apartment was broken into a couple of nights ago although nothing was taken. I know I am being followed. Sometimes when I am out running, other times in my car. I got speeding tickets even though I wasn't driving that day. Obscene and silent phone calls at home, in the office, on my cell phone."

"Why didn't you say something before?" Cade asked.

"Because I thought it was connected to the story and hoped it would settle down once I finished it, " she replied.

Eddie and Cade shared a look between them. "It may be a lot more than you think," Eddie said.

"What do you mean?" asked Liz

"We came across a quatrain that refers to you," Cade started to explain. "It goes "The Maiden of Fair Beauty seeks to reason, the planners corrupt of high authority, before the light of the mind turns to dark". A previous Quatrain referred to the Fair Maiden which is you. As you are an investigative journalist you seek to reason or find answers …."

"Before the light of the mind turns to dark". What does that mean?" Liz asked.

"We are not quite sure yet, but going by what has happened to you it could mean that a psychological aliens have a knack for playing with people's minds. It makes sense! They want to stop that story from being published."

"...or it may have something to do with your father, " Eddie surmised.

"What does my father have to do with any of this?" Liz asked.

"The files! "

"I destroyed those files!" she exclaimed .

"I know," replied Eddie. "This is all just speculation Liz. But what if it's all connected? "

Liz sighed in exasperation. "What do my father's files have to do with a corrupt planning commission expose?" She felt the tears start to form in her eyes and she sniffed as she wiped them away

Eddie reached over to take her hand. "We don't know honey but let us investigate this.'

She nodded as another tear trickled down her face. She made no attempt to wipe it away until Eddie handed her a Kleenex. "What do I do now?"

Cade placed his hand on her shoulder. "Stay here with Eddie. I am going to investigate this a little further."

She looked up at him and sniffed as she stood up. She began to walk towards her car. "No I'm going home. I have stuff to do! "

"Liz it's too dangerous! Stay here with Eddie! " Cade said running after her and grabbing her arm.

"NO!" Liz turned to face Cade with a look of determination on her face.

The two stared at each other for a moment. "Ok, I'll drive you home."

"I'll try to access your computer at the office and see what I come up with," Eddie said.

"It will be fine," Cade said softly.

.They spoke very little on the drive home. Cade kept a watchful eye out for anyone hiding in the bushes as he walked her up to her apartment building. He pulled out his gun and entered her apartment. He told her to wait as he went through all the rooms. Every sense on alert.

"Everything 's clear, " he said when he came back to her. "Just keep the doors locked when you go in. Call me if you need me. "

She nodded as she went in. She turned to watch him walk away. "Cade..."

"What? "

"Thanks," she smiled.

He gave her a half smile as he stroked her cheek and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I'll call you later."

She sighed as she took her laptop out of her briefcase and placed it on the kitchen table. Sitting down in front of it she sent an email to a friend of hers at The Ohio Chronicle in Cincinnati.

/\\\

Cade waited until everyone had left the The Garden City Herald for the evening. He knew he didn't have a lot of time as the security guard did a sweep every 15 minutes. There was no sign of the guard as he stealthily broke a small window at the back of the building and climbed through. Finding himself in a storage closet he pulled out his torch and placed it in his mouth as he picked the lock. The door clicked open and he cautiously made his way to the main office. Going through all the files in Catherine's office he found nothing. A light suddenly bounced around the room and he ducked under the desk when the security guard checked around the room. Cade checked his watch and timed the guard on his round.

_"5,4,3,2,1," he counted in his mind. _

He waited another couple of seconds before crawling out from under the desk and over to the glass office door. He watched as the guard left the room and close the door behind him. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and carefully made his way over to what used to be Liz 's desk. Grabbing a cable from out of his Blackhawks duffel bag he plugged it to a port that Eddie had told him. He took his cell phone out his pocket and dialled Eddie.

"Ok. Plugged the cable in. What do I do now? " he whispered into the phone while keep a watch on the door.

"Plug the other end of the cable into your cellphone and press the hashtag. That should give me remote access to the computer, " replied Eddie as he sat in front of the his computer. "Ok data is coming through now. "

"How long is this going to take Eddie? Security will be back soon!" Cade asked impatiently.

"Uno Momento, my friend. This should only take a few minutes. "

Cade felt his heart beat rapidly as he watched the green line on his cell phone slowly turn red. He checked his watch. The guard would be back in 5 minutes. "C'mon!" he urged through gritted teeth.

"Almost there Foster," Eddie said.

" Hurry! " the green line sped up and "Data transferred" appeared on the screen of the phone.

"About time," muttered Cade disconnecting the phone call to Eddie's usual annoyance as he pulled the cable out of the computer, grabbed his bag and dived under the desk. He held his breath as the guard passed the cubicle. He heard the door click shut and came out from under the desk. Keeping an eye on the door he went back the way he came.

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Liz yawned as she finished sending her resume to various newspaper editors and journalists. Her friend at The Ohio Chronicle had emailed to say that her editor would be in touch but was very interested in hiring her. She stretched her legs under the table as she yawned again. She looked at her watch and was surprised to see what time it was.

She went into her bathroom and got ready for bed. A clinking noise like something falling over startled her. She slowly moved towards the door."Cade, is that you?"

She breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed that a book had fallen against the umbrella stand. Leaning down to pick it up she placed it back on the hall table. She went back to the kitchen to get a glass of water and a chill ripped through her body when she saw a curtain blowing through an open window. She was sure that it had been closed earlier. When she reached over to pull the window shut she sensed there was someone w behind her. She turned quickly just as her arms were grabbed. The glass of water fell from her hand and smashed all over the floor. A rough cloth was shoved over her nose and mouth drowning out her muffled scream. Struggling as much as she could the fumes eventually overcame her and her body went limp.

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Nausea. That was her first feeling when she came to a few hours later. The second was the pain in her head which felt like a migraine ramped up. Her mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton wool. She groaned as she massaged her temples. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the brightness. She closed them again with her hand on her forehead.. "_I'm never drinking again." _Her eyes flew open a few moments later and she bolted upright with a loud gasp in shock as her head jerked wildly around at the unfamiliar surroundings. Stark white padded room with a window and steel door. Only piece of furniture was the bed she was on. "What the hell?

She scrambled off the bed her legs giving away as she fell to the floor. With the room swaying in front of her eyes she stumbled across the floor to the door. Breathing heavily she fought back the nausea in the pit of her stomach as her legs gave way again and she collapsed to the floor with a pained moan. Sitting on her hunkers she pounded on the door. "LET ME OUT OF HERE!"

Through a two way mirror Catherine Denny watched impassively as Liz struggled to her feet and pull at the door handle. She continued to frantically pound the door and screamed to be let out.

Catherine turned to the computer technician behind her. "I want to keep her sedated but lucid. Give her another dose in 30 minutes and then I will go into her. She has valuable information related to her father's work and to the whereabouts of Subject 117. We need to get that information. "

"Yes ma'am," replied the technician adjusting some controls on the computer.

Liz pressed her head against the door as she hit the door with the the palms of her hands. She twisted her body so she had her back against the wall and slid down to the floor with a loud cry as the last of her strength left her. "Let me out," she wailed hoarsely. "Please let me out! "

She was still seated on the floor rocking back and forth hugging her knees to her chest when the door opened. Her blonde curly hair was over her face as she gathered her strength to look up with unfocused eyes to see who had entered. "Catherine, " she whispered in shock as the other woman stood over her. "What's going on?"

Catherine let out a sigh as she hunkered down to her. She took her chin in her hand and stared into the bloodshot and scared eyes of the younger woman "I believe you have information related to your father's work. I want it. I also know you are in contact with Cade Foster or as we know him Subject 117. I want to know where he is. "

"I don't know what you are talking about, " Liz swallowed.

"Dear, don't play games with me. We know that you are, should I say, friendly with Foster. Here's the proof." Catherine said throwing a bundle of photos on the floor in front of her.

Liz moved her hand over the photos. There were pictures of her and Cade together. At the bank in Fincheley. In her car. There was one of them both kissing. She pushed the photos away in defiance.

"You have an hour to tell me." Catherine said getting to her feet. She took another glance at the young woman sitting on the floor as she opened the door. "One hour Liz.'

"No!" screamed Liz reaching out to grab the other woman's leg but fell on her side as the door clicked shut.

/\\\\\

"Anything Eddie?" Cade asked as he peered over the shoulder of the hacker.

Eddie shook his head. "Nothing Foster. No history, nothing in the hard drive. No nothing. It's all gone. "

"Did you check Catherine's?"

"Nothing there either," replied Eddie rubbing his head.

"What about this guy Clayton? Liz's source?"

"I ran and cross referenced the name Clayton with City Hall records. The planning commission. No record of any Clayton," Eddie said showing him the research.

"Clayton must be an alias then, " replied Cade. He grabbed his cell pone from the red leather couch. "I'll call Liz . See if she knows him by any other names. "

"Ok," Eddie said swiveling his chair around back to the computer. "I'll check my stock options in the meantime. "

"_This is Elizabeth Baker. I'm not available to take your call right now but please leave your message after the tone." _

"Hey, it's me. Give me a call back when you get this, " Cade spoke into the phone leaving a message. He took a quick look over Eddie's shoulder again rolling his eyes when he saw that he had his stock portfolio open. "Let me know when you're done with that. It's not as if we have an alien invasion to stop!"

"Good investments help finance our alien hunting mission Foster. Don't forget that, " Eddie said as he transferred funds from one account to another.

"Well I'm going to check out City Hall. See the if anyone knows this Clayton, " replied Cade going out the door.

Eddie shut down the computer and followed him out. "Wait I'll come with you! "

"Still not answering," Cade said after hearing the answering service again.

"Gosh didn't think you were one of those guys" teased Eddie.

"One of what guys? " Cade asked.

"One of those that obsessed with a girl not calling him back," Eddie said with a chuckle but stopped when he saw the look of annoyance from the alien hunter.

When they turned onto the City Hall plaza they were prevented from going any further by a student protest on the street. They were all milling around chanting slogans and waving banners. Cade was drawn to one of the college pennants. "Eddie, Clayton isn't a person... "

"It's a place.." Eddie finished off.

\\\\\/

"I think we will start with the high frequency at level one, " Catherine said to the computer tech as she glanced through the window. She saw that Liz had not moved but was now curled up in the fetal position.

"Her bio vitals levels are high, " the technician said indicating a screen monitoring Liz's vital signs.

"Hmm...the high frequency sound coupled with her levels will break her sooner then," replied Catherine .

"Go to high and it could damage her permanently," warned the technician .

"She'll break before that happens," Catherine replied taking another look at Liz in the room.

She lay on the floor staring glassy eyed at the other side of the wall. Staring at nothing. She no longer had the strength to move. Her breathing slow and regular. The bright white overhead light of dimmed suddenly and she was left in darkness. Then came the sound. A high pitched sound which felt like it was coming from within her. Seeping from her every pore. She covered her ears as the sound intensified and then leveled off. She screamed.

\\\\\/

"Excuse me? I'm looking for your course brochure," Cade said to the Clayton University receptionist giving her his most charming smile.

"School of business, School of science or School of politics," she asked hoping this was a mature student.

"Politics, " Cade said. "Tell me is there any internships with City Hall? "

"Yes," replied the receptionist . "Urban planning at the Planning Commission."

"Thank you," Cade smiled at her as he tapped the brochure in his hand. Walking over to Eddie sitting on a bench on the plaza outside he asked him to get the student list for the Urban Planning Course. "

"Sure Foster," Eddie said pulling out his laptop.

Cade let out a sigh when he tried Liz's number again. "Something 's wrong."

Eddie heard the tone of anxiousness in the other man's voice. When Cade had a gut feeling about something he was usually right. "I got the list of students why don't I check them out and you go to Liz's place. Don't worry. She probably just wants some time to herself."

Cade nodded. " Ok. "

\\\\\/

Arriving at Liz's apartment he noticed that her car wasn't parked outside. He knocked on the door but there was no answer.

"Can I help you?"

Cade turned around and saw a woman in her 40's behind him.

"I was looking for Liz. I am a friend of hers," he replied.

"She took off early this morning," the woman said.

"Did she say where?" asked Cade.

"No. But she did seem in a hurry to get away, " answered the woman.

He nodded his thanks and waited for the woman to leave. Glancing around he moved around the back of the building. Seeing the fire escape ladder he pulled it down and climbed up it. When he got inside he made his way to her apartment door. He felt around the edges of the door and found a key at the top.

"Liz? Are you here?" He called as he went through all the rooms. Her bed wasn't slept in. He walked back to the kitchen and leaned against the counter top. A stain on the carpet near the door of the living room caught his eye. Kneeling down beside it he touched it and found that it was still damp. He rubbed his thumb and forefinger together and noticed that the liquid was clear. He sniffed and tasted it and concluded it was water. Still hunkered down he shone his torch around. He noticed something glinting against the light under the table beside the door. He reached for it and saw that it was a shard of glass.

\\\\\/

Liz lay on the bed with her eyes closed. She was too exhausted to open them. They had finally stopped the high pitched sound but it still felt like it was reverberating throughout her. Her throat hurt so much as well as every bone in her body. Thoughts ran through her head. She was not going to give up. She couldn't. No matter what they did to her she was not giving up.

She heard the click of the door and she slowly opened her eyes to see Catherine standing in the doorway. She noticed someone standing behind her. When he came further into the room she recognized the man as Joshua. An acolyte. He had formed an uneasy alliance with Cade.

"Well?" asked Catherine.

"What?" Liz pushed herself to a seated position.

"Are you going to give me the information?" Catherine asked.

"No!" replied Liz.

"You are very foolish. I would have thought that the sensory deprivation overload would have broken you. "

Liz let out a short laugh. "I'll never break Catherine!"

"Ok. I will show you what happens to people who refuse to cooperate and then I am going to do the same to you, " Catherine said turning to leave the room. Joshua looked at Liz for a moment and followed her out.

"I'm not afraid of you!" Liz screamed after her .

Several minutes later Joshua returned to the room. "I would advise you to give her the information, Ms Baker. Catherine has a formidable talent when it comes to getting what she wants".

"Joshua, I know you have helped Cade in the past. You know as well as I do that he is very resourceful. You have to help me!" Liz whispered frantically to him.

A muscle tensed in the acolyte 's jaw as he unblinking stared at her .

"Please Joshua! " She pleaded.

She let out a cry of frustration when he left the room.

He returned a few moments later and handed her a cellphone before leaving again. "Do what you have to do!"

She dialled the trailer but the answering system was on. "_I hope they get this. "_

"Hi. It is Elizabeth. I'm gone away for a few days, I need to unwind a little bit. Can you keep an eye on the cat for me. She will want to be fed and make sure that black tom is not hanging around. Bye".

Joshua returned to the room again taking the cellphone from her. "Catherine wants to show you something. "

Taking her by the arm he guided her through a maze of passageways. Her legs nearly giving away a few times. They came to another room. Four seats faced a window. Catherine sat in one chair. Beyond the window was another small room. A steel chair with wires hanging out of it was positioned in the middle while a control box with a lever was placed on the back wall.

"Elizabeth I want to show you what happens when people don't cooperate with me," Catherine said pressing a button beside the chair. A door opened in the other small room. A young man was led in wearing cuffs by two guards. He was covered in bruises and had numerous wounds. He struggled as the guards strapped him to the chair. Liz gasped when she recognized the man. It was Adam Lester. The intern from Clayton University who was her source at the planning commission. The guards put what looked like electrodes on his temples and left the room.

"What you are about to see, Elizabeth, is what happens when electricity is forced into someone's brain through the temples. It can be done at very low levels or very high levels. It is a way of getting information. The pain is so intense that the prisoner is almost glad to reveal the information. Other times the prisoner refuses to give in and well the electricity literally fries the brain. Mental institutions call this electric shock treatment," Catherine explained

"This is barbaric!" a horrified Liz exclaimed.

"Yes but effective. This man will be receiving the full dosage today. Now sit back and watch the show," Catherine said. She pressed the button beside her chair again and a man dressed in black walked into the room.

Catherine tapped on the window. The man took the lever in one hand and pulled it down. Liz looked on in horror as Adam screamed as the electricity raced towards his brain. Smoke started to come out of the electrodes. The smell of burning flesh filled the air as Liz retched and vomited on the floor beside her.

"So this is what happens. You will be receiving the same treatment in less than 3 hours time if you don't give me that information. If you do your life will be spared, " Catherine said standing up.

"NO, YOU BITCH, YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! " Liz screamed as she was taken back to her room by two guards.

\\\\\/

Cade and Eddie arrived back at the trailer at the same time.

"Did you find anything? Cade asked.

"Yeah I did Foster. I spoke to the students on the list. There was only one interning in the planning commission. Adam Lester. Get this. He hasn't been seen in 3 days! "

"That's who her source is. They have him Eddie, " replied Cade.

"Oh man," Eddie said running his hand through his thick black hair. "Did you find anything? "

"Liz wasn't there. I spoke to one of the neighbours who said that she took off early this morning. "

"Where?" asked Eddie.

"She didn't know," replied Cade.

They both saw the light flashing on the answering machine at the same time.

_Hi. It is Elizabeth. I'm gone away for a few days, I need to unwind a little bit. Can you keep an eye on the cat for me. She will want to be fed and make sure that black tom is not hanging around. Bye"._

Cade looked puzzled when it finished. "That's odd, Liz doesn't have a cat. She's allergic to them. Play it again".

"I'm going to analyze it, " Eddie as he hooked up the system to the computer. "People have little idiosyncrasies when they speak. They emphasize some words and not others. The computer should pick up the sound waves from the tape so we will see if there is anything that we have missed ." As he played the tape the computer showed Liz's voice in the form of lines. Eddie watched it carefully and played it again.

"Foster, look here, do you see how the line moves up here, here and here" Eddie pointed to the screen. "Those words should not be emphasized at all. Looks like Liz is trying to tell us something." He played the tape again. "Do you hear that. The G is emphasised here, the U here and the A here. Spells out GUA. The aliens have her, Foster."

"Oh Man. The cat she referred to is her boss Catherine Denny. She's one of the aliens. She must be looking for those files, " Cade said looking very worried.

"The black tom. Could be Joshua. He must be there as well," Eddie said.

"Is there any way you can trace the call?" Cade asked.

"Already done, my friend," Eddie said giving the printout of the address to Cade who sprinted out of the trailer without saying a word. Eddie turned around to the computer screen and started a background check on Catherine.

\\\\\/

Cade arrived at an old warehouse building outside the city limits. A large fence surrounded the grounds with signs warning people to keep out. Making sure there was no security cameras he scaled the fence and ran across the grounds to the building..He steadily moved around the building looking for an opening and came across a small window near to the ground. He took out his cell phone and called Eddie

"Eddie. It's Foster. I am at the address. It is an old warehouse. Can you find out what it was used for?"

"Apparently it was used as a lab by Clayton University but no longer in use. There's no other information. I also did a background check on Catherine Denny. "

"What did you find? " asked Cade.

"Well it only went back as far as 1992. Before that nothing but she is clean as a whistle."

"It figures! " Cade said and hung up.

Cade broke the small window and climbed through it finding himself in a dimly lit corridor with a door on the other end. An overwhelming smell pervaded his senses. He covered his nose with his jacket as he opened the door slowly. He heard voices and peeped through the crack. When he was sure that the people had passed he opened it again and left. Overhead lights flickered as he quietly walked down the hallway. He passed some doors which were locked when he tried them. He came to a junction between two corridors. Peering around the corner he heard Liz 's voice all of a sudden.

"I don't have it! No! " She sounded distressed and when he peeped around the corner again he saw her being led into another room by two guards. Loud sobs echoed through the hallway. Running to the door he looked through the small window not believing what he was seeing.

Liz was strapped to a chair with mall white electrodes attached to her temples. He saw the fear and anguish on her face. He noticed the woman in the room opposite tapping on the window. He could hear the lever being pushed out and Liz crying out in pain. Cade looked around and saw a large piece of wood on the floor. He grabbed it and pulled the door open.

"Turn it off!'" he demanded wielding the wood like a baseball bat. "Turn it off!"

The hooded man pulled a gun out as Cade swung the bat around and knocked the gun out of his hand. The other man grabbed at the bat but Cade swung it again causing the other guy to fall to the floor. Cade grabbed him by the lapels and banged his head against the floor. The guy reached up and had Cade by the throat. With a loud grunt Cade reached out for the nearby gun and the two struggled to gain control of it. A loud bang reverberated throughout the room and the alien fell sideways as he dissolved.

Panting heavily Cade stumbled over to the control box and pulled the lever to stop the shocks being delivered to Liz. Her body went limp in the chair as he unstrapped her.

Checking her pulse he gently pushed her head back and lightly tapped her face. "Liz! Come on.'

Her eyes flickered open. "Cade!"

"Let's go, " he helped her off the chair.

"Where...where's Catherine?" Liz mumbled in a hoarse voice. She held onto him as he helped her across the room.

"I don't know, " replied Cade. The two stopped when Catherine appeared at the door with a gun.

"Well Cade Foster. You are just the man I am looking for! "

"Sorry lady. I am not interested".

"Move, " Catherine ordered but Cade grabbed the baseball bat again, knocked the gun to the floor and pushed Catherine away. She recovered flinging him across the floor with great ease. She grabbed Liz and pushed her up against the wall with her hands around her throat. . Liz started to choke. Ignoring the pain in his head Cade reached out for the gun and pulled the trigger. Catherine growled in pain as a bullet hit her lower leg. Liz pushed Catherine away and she fell onto the electric chair. Liz collapsed onto the floor beside the control box. Cade reached out and put one of the white pads on Catherine's temple. He looked over at Liz who seemed disorientated.

"PULL THE LEVER!" he shouted at her. Liz looked up and reached for the lever and pulled it down to maximum strength. Electricity charged through the wires and hit Catherine full force in the brain. She started to convulse and then dissolved.

Cade crawled over to Liz and took her in his arms as she shook uncontrollably.

"It's ok darlin'. Lets get out of here," he said as she rocked against him.

\\\\\/

Eddie put the last box in the back of the U Haul van.

"Thanks Eddie, you are a good man," Liz smiled giving him a hug.

He grinned like a little boy as he kissed her cheek

"Everything's locked up". Cade said he came out of the apartment.

"Thank you. " The two looked at each other. He pushed a lock of hair under the hat she wore to hide the bruises from the electrodes and kissed her cheek.

"I'll call you when I get to Ohio ," she said.

"Take care," he replied. "I'll be in touch."

She smiled as she got into the van and started on the long drive to Ohio.

_Cade's Journal entry_

_"Liz took a job with the Ohio Chronicle in Cincinnati. She said she was tired of freelance work. She also agreed to play a more active part in helping us to expose the alien conspiracy. After I investigate the experiments and post the journals she will do a follow up article. Although it has already been established newspaper editors refuse to allow their newspapers to reach the level of supermarket tabloids she would do it in a way that would direct the readers to The Paranoid Times and the journals. This seems to be the best way to wake people up to the impending battles that lie ahead."_

Cade watched as the woman he cared deeply about drove away. He turned and got into the car beside Eddie. They went in the opposite direction to continue the quest of the "Twice Blessed Man".


End file.
